


The Christmas Killer: A Kate Gray Case

by TheScarletAria



Category: Adventure Escape
Genre: Adventure Escape - Freeform, Christmas, Christmas Killer, F/M, Gen, Haiku Games, Holidays, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, someone had to do it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24708769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheScarletAria/pseuds/TheScarletAria
Summary: Detective Kate Gray gets a call from her old friend Lt. Murphy to investigate the death of a woman killed a few days before Christmas. The murder and calling card left behind bear a striking resemblance to two murders committed a decade earlier. One a few days before, and the other on Christmas Day.Was this the same killer?They have until Christmas to find out.
Relationships: Kate Gray & Aaron Murphy, Kate Gray/Aaron Murphy
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was sad to see no fanfiction for these characters, so here ya go. Hope you enjoy!

Murder. Mayhem. Mystery. 

The Thrilling Case of The Killer Cop.

Boring. 

More like the case of the killer flop. Metro Police officer Carla Schultz had stabbed a college student and framed a professor for the crime. Unfortunately for her, the woman also just so happened to be a former Captain of the Metro Police force and a close friend of a detective still active on said force. 

Detective Gray turned the page, searching for a more intriguing article. She had five more minutes on her self-imposed break before it was back to the case files, and she wasn't vain enough to spend it reading an article on her own case. 

Or maybe she just got enough of it at work.

She turned the page to an article about super glue fuming, a new technique in forensic science. It allowed investigators in Texas to lift prints off the skin of a murder victim and led directly to the capture of the killer. She remembered Keiko mentioning she had used the technique to get a print off a piece of concrete. 

"Kate, do you know where I can find the Peterson file? It's the last thing I need to process before I leave for vacation."

The words of her Sergeant startled her, causing her to straighten up in her chair. Her voice didn't show it. "Sure thing, Sarge." She scanned the surface of her desk for the file, only then realizing just how much trash had accumulated on top of it. 

How was she going to find anything in this mess?

Kate quickly began scooping up the empty candy bar wrappers from her desk, dumping them into the trash. The empty fast food cup followed close after. 

Much better. 

A relieved sigh escaped her lips at the newfound cleanliness, followed closely by a huff. 

No folder. 

That's right. She lent it to Dan. 

Holding up one finger, she excused herself, earning a sigh from her Sergeant as she made for the break room. 

Sure enough.

Her file sat on the break room table, peeking out from under the elbows of a groaning Dan. His body was slumped.in the chair, his forehead pressed against the surface, face resting on crossed arms.

Kate shot Keiko, who stood in the corner by the counter making coffee, a bewildered look. 

Keiko shrugged, "He's been like that all morning."

"What's wrong with him?"

"Late night at the bar," The other woman answered casually. "I told him to lay off the tequila shots."

"Ughhh ... my head..."

Kate grimaced, "Shoot. I think I lent him one of my folders yesterday..."

"He's useless now. You'll need to cure his hangover if you want it back."

With a sigh, Kate retrieved a bottle of aspirin from the first aid kit on the wall and handed it to her companion. Well, set it on the table next to his head. 

Taking the paper cup Keiko offered, Kate filled it before setting it next to the aspirin. Dan sluggishly reached out, taking a few of the pills and downing the water. 

Kate retrieved a donut from the box on the counter and handed it to her now somewhat aware friend. 

He gave her a groggy nod and a grumbled thanks as he sat up, cradling the donut as if it were something precious. "Oh, here." He slid the folder across the table to her. 

"Thanks," Kate grabbed it, making her way back to her desk. "There you are."

"Just what I needed," Jacob grinned as he took the file. "Florida Keys, here I come!" He leaned on the edge of Kate's desk. "You going anywhere for the holidays, Kate?"

She shook her head, "No, sir. Gonna catch up on my casework." 

It was the same thing she did every year. 

Jacob nodded, "Well, I admire your dedication."

A beat passed before he clapped his hands excitedly, "Alright, I'm going." He turned, marching back towards his office. "Don't burn down the station while I'm gone, Detective!"

"I won't let you down, sir." She responded with a nod he couldn't see. 

When Jacob's office door closed behind him, Kate dropped into her chair with a sigh. 

"Finally some peace and quiet..."

The phone on her desk begged to differ, it's shrill ring piercing the air. With a sigh, she seized the device. Irritation turned to curiosity as she noted the name on the screen. 

Murphy, A.

Could it be?

She pressed the phone to her ear, "Detective Gray speaking."

A familiar voice greeted her. 

"Hey Kate." She could hear the ever-present smile in his voice. "This is Lieutenant Aaron Murphy. I'm investigating a 140 down in Southside. Anonymous tip on a dead body." She could hear the sounds of people in the background. Murphy's voice became muffled for a moment as he addressed someone else before returning to the phone, "We need you down here, Detective."

"I'm on my way," Kate responded immediately, the familiar excitement of a new case coursing through her veins. Hanging up the phone, she grabbed her kit from underneath her desk and sling it over her shoulder as she made for the door. 

So much for peace and quiet. 


	2. Chapter 2

Gravel crunched under her tires as Kate's sedan rolled to a stop in front of the crime scene. Yellow crime scene cordoned off the area, stretched across two portable barricades on either side of the driveway. Kate retrieved her kit from the passenger seat and stepped out of the vehicle. As she approached the large Tudor-style home, she flashed her badge to the patrol officer guarding the entryway. 

He gave a curt nod and lifted the crime scene tape. 

With a grateful smile, she ducked under, scanning the scene. She caught sight of a familiar figure talking with two officers up ahead.

The blond raised his hand when he saw her, a smile lighting up his blue eyes. He didn't look that different, even though she hadn't seen him in years. He was a little more built, his hair a little longer, but he still looked like Murphy.

The mustache was new. 

He dismissed himself from the other officers and jogged over to her. "Kate, thanks for coming so quickly." He led her towards the house. 

"I was glad to get the call." She smiled up at him, raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "I had no idea you were back in town."

He chuckled, "Yeah. How many years has it been since the Academy?" 

"I don't think I want to answer that," Kate responded with a laugh of her own. 

"Time flies..." He mused, "And we just get older." His smile faded at the somber thought. But he snapped out of it a moment later, grinning at her. "Not you, though! You look as good as ever." 

She laughed, "Thanks, Murph. You look good yourself."

He chuckled, and she could make out the faintest hint of pink in his face. He stepped to the side, letting her enter the house first. 

"Now, tell me about this tip you got."

Murphy nodded, "We got an anonymous tip about a dead body. Sent an officer out to do a welfare check on the address. He found the front door ajar and went inside. The upstairs bedroom was locked. When he got inside, he found our victim."

"The front door was ajar, but the bedroom was locked?" Kate turned her head, perplexed. 

"We think the killer was the one who called in the tip," He answered as they climbed the stairs. Reaching the top, he once again let her go first. "We left the crime scene intact for you." 

She nodded appreciatively, stepping around him to enter the bedroom. 

On the bed lay a middle-aged woman with blonde hair. The gray tint to her skin, her blue lips, and the faint smell of death made it obvious even from across the room that the woman had passed. Probably the night before. The covers were pulled up to her chin. 

"Property records indicate her name is Peggy Larson." Murphy stated somberly, "Poor woman."

Kate nodded with a quiet him of agreement as she set her kit down on the floor. Opening it, she pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves before grabbing her camera. She held out a pair of gloves to her partner. 

As he slipped them on, she offered him a stack of evidence markers. "Mind giving me a hand?" 

"Of course not," he accepted them with a smile. 

A table lamp lay in the middle of the room, its porcelain casing shattered against the hardwood floor. Murphy placed an evidence marker beside it. "The lamp suggests a struggle. The killer may have put the body in the bed after he killed her."

"Probably," Kate snapped a photo of the lamp. 

There was a spot of red on the floor next to it. 

"Murph, can you pass me a swab from my kit?"

He reached into her kit and passed her an evidence swab. She collected a sample of the red substance, "Looks like blood." She passed her camera to Murphy so she could run a Kastle-Meyer test on the sample. 

The swab turned pink. 

"It's definitely blood, but is it from the victim or the killer?"

Murphy was kneeling beside the bed, photographing a shoe print. When she joined him, he passed the camera back to her. "This footprint may have been left by the intruder."

"Looks like a work boot."

"It's too big to be a woman's."

Kate nodded her agreement, a shadow under the bed catching her attention. Moving the quilt out of the way revealed a wooden box. Pulling it out, Kate opened it, giving its contents a cursory inspection. "These look like Peggy's personal photos and documents." She passed it to Murphy, "We'll take it back to the lab. Who knows, maybe it could help us figure out the motive."

He accepted the box from her, steeling it next to her kit as Kate made her way around the bed. She grabbed the top of the quilt, nodding towards the other side. "Can you grab that side?" 

With a nod, Murphy mirrored her position and they lifted the quilt off the woman's body, moving it to the foot of the bed. 

The first thing they saw was the snow globe. Peggy was clutching it to her chest. 

Kate's gaze shot to her partner, finding his puzzled expression to be a mirror of her own. 

"A snow globe?" He placed the evidence marker beside it. 

Kate took the photo, "I don't think she went to sleep holding this."

"Did you see her hand?" 

Kate nodded, photographing the nasty cut on the back of Peggy's right hand, the blood long dry. She turned her attention to the woman's neck. "That's some serious bruising, too."

"And look at the lips," Murphy pointed to the dark blue shade of the lips. "Poison, you think?"

"Maybe." Kate photographed the bruises and the lips.

"So, let me get this straight." Murphy counted off on his fingers, "He hit her with a lamp, poisoned her, and then he choked her?" He shook his head, "This was definitely violent. Whoever did this must really have hated her."

"It sure looks that way..." Kate agreed that it looked like overkill. "It's possible she may have struck him with the lamp in self defense and cut herself. As for the poison... I don't know, men don't usually use poison. Strangulation is a lot more common."

"First time for everything, I guess." Murphy shrugged, removing the snow globe from the dead woman's grasp and placing it in an evidence bag. 

Kate watched him, eyes fixed on the pink ceramic of the snow globe's base. It was such a strange thing to find. Something about it seemed so familiar. 

Her partner caught her eye as he sealed the bag. "You okay, Kate?"

"Yeah," She answered, wetting her lip with the end of her tongue. "Hey, Murph, do you remember a case a few years back over in Stoneville? A serial killer who left snow globes as a calling card?"

Murphy looked to the object in his hands, then back to her. Realization dawned on him. "Yeah, they called him 'The Christmas Killer.' He killed twice, the first victim four days before Christmas and the other on Christmas Day." 

A moment passed in silence. 

"They never caught him, did they?"

Murphy shook his head. "You think he did this?"

"It looks like we have three days to figure that out."


	3. Chapter 3

Kate stood before the evidence board she had set up in the bullpen. Using the photos and documents from the box under Peggy's bed, combined with the photos that Kate and Murphy had taken at the crime scene, she had set up a physical layout of information on their victim. 

Peggy Larson was a fifty-six-year old divorcee at the time of her death. According to the property records, she had bought the house at 256 Hillside shortly after her divorce in 1995. Three months later, Cooke County Hospital records indicated that Peggy had given birth to a daughter who the couple had named Misty. Kate had found several photos of Misty in the box, some of which now occupied her evidence board. 

According to Peggy's diary, Misty moved out in the fall of 2016, leaving the woman alone in the house. 

She also had a brother, Antonio Trivelli, who ran a machine shop in town. A photo of him was tacked to the board beside his name. The two looked like siblings, but the gray hair made it clear that Antonio was older.

Nothing in the research that Kate had done indicated to her that Peggy would be a likely target for a serial killer. Or any killer, really. From what she could tell, Peggy kept mostly to herself. Monthly cable bills from the box showed that she spent a lot of time watching TV and credit card statements indicated she had a bit of an online shopping habit. Nothing stood out to her, but then again, maybe that was it. Maybe it hadn't been the Christmas Killer, but rather a random home invasion, a break-in when they thought the house was empty. Or perhaps a criminal had scoped out the house, saw Peggy step outside for the mail, and thought the old woman would be an easy target for violence. 

They then killed her and ... left a snow globe on the body. 

Kate sighed. There was that snow globe again. 

It was so unusual, such a specific item to find on the body. She really couldn't ignore the similarities to the old Christmas Killer case. But those murders had been a decade earlier. Why would the killer come back now?

"Still working, Kate?"

Kate turned to the voice. Keiko smiled sympathetically as she joined her in front of the board. "It's getting pretty late."

"Yeah," Kate shrugged. "I need to know if the Christmas Killer is behind this murder."

Keiko gave an understanding nod. "Well, I'm swamped at the moment, but feel free to use the lab." The Asian woman continued her original course towards the break room. "You're a certified tech, after all."

"Thank you," Kate responded as the woman disappeared through the door with a wave. 

With a long sigh and one last look at the board, she headed towards the lab. Maybe she would find something useful in the evidence they collected from the house. 

Entering the lab, she noticed the temperature difference immediately. Keiko always kept it cool. For the evidence she would say, but Kate happened to know that Keiko's energy drinks would stay colder longer if she left them on the metal desk with the thermostat turned down. 

She slipped on a pair of gloves before grabbing a container of fingerprint powder, a brush, and tape lifts and heading into the autopsy bay. 

Peggy's body lay on the table, still inside the body bag. The next morning, the coroner would take her back to his facility for the autopsy. 

Grabbing the two bags of evidence from beside the body, she returned to the lab. Initialing the bags, she cut the seal on the first. Removing the yellow teapot, she gently set it on the table. Given their suspicion that the victim had been poisoned, when they found the teapot on the stove, with some tea in the bottom, they made sure to bring it back with them. Keiko had emptied the contents and was running chemical tests on them. Kate was more interested in the pot itself. Maybe she could pull a print off it, and maybe, if she was lucky, that print would match her killer. 

Opening the fingerprint powder released a small blue puff. Dragging the ends of the bristles through the powder stirred it up even more. Tapping the edge of the brush against the container, she began the delicate process of dusting the pot. Starting at the handle and working her way around the pot. 

Blue ridges began to appear against the yellow porcelain. Once she's teased out the rest of the print, she opens the tape lift, using it to collect the print. 

Across the room, the door swung open. "Kate?"

"In here," Kate called as she returned the pot to its evidence bag. She broke the seal on the other bag, removing the lamp. 

Murphy's head appeared around the corner. "There you are," He smiled. "Keiko said you were working late. You need some help?"

Kate shrugged. 

"I brought snacks," Murphy held up a pair of protein bars. He wiggled them. And his eyebrows. 

Kate couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as she motioned him in, "Come on in."

He chuckled softly, setting his offerings on the table. "How can I help?"

Lifting the second print off with the tape, she sealed it and offered it to him, along with the one from the teapot. "Can you load these up on the computer? I want to compare them to our victim."

"I can do that," He responded, accepting them. Making his way over to the computer, he popped open the scanner, putting the print cards inside. 

"Keiko printed the Vic when she came in. They should be loaded up on the computer." 

"Yep. I got it." 

By the time Kate had resealed the evidence and returned it to storage, Murphy had the comparisons up on the screen. 

She stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. "How's it looking?" 

"Good news and bad news." 

"Okay... what's the good news?"

"The print on the teapot matches the one on the lamp."

"Okay. What's the bad news?"

"Both prints match the victim."

Kate sighed tiredly, crestfallen. So much for the prints. She had hoped that at least one of them would have been the killer's. 

"Looks like your self defense theory was right. She probably hit him with the lamp and it cut her when it broke." Murphy leaned back in his chair, meeting Kate's eye. "You know, it's a shame we can't lift the prints off her neck." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's a safe bet she didn't strangle herself."

"Wait." Kate's hands came down on his shoulders. "That's it." 

He stiffened with the sudden contact, looking at her upside down, "That's what?"

She was already off and gone, forcing Murphy out of his seat to follow her. 

She rounded the corner into the lab, crossing to a supply cupboard. Opening it, it didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, pulling a box from the bottom shelf, she smiled. Hoisting the box up, she passed it to a very confused Murphy before heading back to autopsy. "Come on. You're gonna love this."

Murphy turned his head, reading the upside down words as she passed. "Super Glue Fuming Kit?" 

Holding the door for him, she beckoned for him to join her. As he entered, she let the door close behind him and crossed to the body bag. 

Unzipping it, she nodded to Murphy. "Here, help me with this."

"Yeah, no problem." He set the box down on the table and joined her. 

Together they prepared the body for the fuming, setting up the plastic tent-like structure to contain the fumes. 

"So, how do you know how to do this?" 

Kate shrugged, "I like to keep up to date on the newest techniques. You never know what we could use to solve a case."

"Case and point," Murphy chuckled, indicating their project. 

"Hopefully." Kate Filled a shallow tray with the super glue mixture. "Typically, if this process is done on a body, it's done right after death. She was inside, though, so preserving her from the elements may be enough."

She plugged in the heat source, placing it inside the tent with the glue tray on top. 

"So how long will this take to work?" Murphy asked. 

"About an hour," Kate shrugged. "Then we dust the neck for prints and hopefully come up with something more than we have now."

"Sounds like a plan," Murphy nodded. "Also sounds like a good time to pause for snacks?"

Kate nodded, but her stomach had other ideas, growling loudly. 

"Or maybe dinner?" He raised an eyebrow. "I know Mr. Wei's delivers."

"That sounds good," Kate agreed. She had missed dinner, and it looked like he had too. Another late night at the office. Looking over at the body as she exited Kate wondered if the fact that she and Murphy were able to make dinner plans while standing next to a corpse had any significance. 

Maybe she'd been doing this too long. 

Brushing off the thought, she followed Murphy out of cold storage, closing the door behind them. 

Murphy disappeared into the other room, returning with the protein bars. "Here," he tossed them to her. "These should hold you off while I call in the order. You want the usual?"

Her attention was divided between the question he was asking and the two flying objects she was trying to catch. She almost failed at both. 

Almost. 

"Uh, yeah." She made the catch, shooting him a triumphant smile. "Thanks Murph."

He smiled back, "You got it, Kate."

An hour later, two empty Chinese containers rested somewhere in the depths of the trash can and the two were back in cold storage. 

"Here we go." Kate knocked the excess fingerprint powder off her brush. 

"Fingers crossed."

Kate brushed the powder over the victim's neck, holding her breath. When the fingerprint began to appear, she let out a small sigh of excitement. "I see ridges..."

Murphy breathed out a laugh at her singsong tone, "Awesome."

She photographed the print before collecting it. 

"I'll clean up in here," Murphy offered. "If you want to go load that up on the computer?" 

"Sounds like a plan." 

Kate scanned the print into the computer, loading up the comparison. The print didn't match the victim. Uploading the print, she ran it through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System. 

A few minutes later, Murphy joined her. 

"What's the word?"

"No match to the victim's prints. Waiting on A.F.I.S. now." 

"Ah, good ol' A.F.I.S." Murphy dropped into the chair next to hers. He rubbed his eyes, focusing on the screen. "Hopefully we come up with something good."

She watched him as the computer ran the search. He leaned on the desk, as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. 

A glance at the clock provided some explanation. It was almost midnight. 

"Thanks for staying late for me, Murph."

It took him a little longer to respond, as if he didn't register her words at first. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it was terrible. Really difficult." He grinned impishly at her, "You owe me. Big time..."

Kate laughed, giving him a light shove, "Shut up." 

The computer beeped, signaling the end of its search. The two practically jumped out of their seats, eyes flashing to the screen. 

"No matches found."

"Shoot!"

Kate groaned, rubbing her forehead. "So much for easy..."

A moment passed in disappointed silence.

"You know... The Christmas Killer case was over a decade ago." Murphy rubbed his mustache thoughtfully as he spoke. "Those records aren't digitized yet."

Kate's mood was immediately boosted. "Sounds like we're taking a trip downtown to the Records Office."

Murphy nodded, "Sounds like a plan. First thing tomorrow morning."

"I'll bring the coffee."


	4. Chapter 4

Kate and Murphy met out in front of the Records Office bright and early. 

As the detective stepped out of the vehicle, she held up the promised morning brew, watching her partner's face light up. 

He accepted it from her, holding it reverently in both hands, "Oh thank God. And thank you, of course."

She shook her head with a fond smile as they headed inside. "Let's ask the receptionist where to find those files."

The lobby was completely deserted, with no one sitting at the reception desk. 

"Oh, haven't you heard? They had to cut the staff. Budget cuts."

Kate turned to him, alarmed. "So what do we do now? This building houses thousands of files!"

"They use a voice activated assistant now."

Kate pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. "Wow... that sounds terrible."

"Come on, Kate..." Murphy opened a cabinet against the wall, removing what Kate assumed to be the voice assistant. He set it on the desk, plugging it in. "This is new technology. It's exciting!"

The machine beeped once, a bright light flashing on top. 

"Great, it's plugged in. Now what?"

"O Great Voice Device..."

Kate rolled her eyes, trying not to let her smile show. This man ... was ridiculous. 

"... How can we find the Christmas Killer files?"

The light went out on the device before lighting up in a different color as it responded. "Crimes are on the bottom five floors of the archives. Crimes are organized chronologically by the month they occurred. Crimes committed earlier in the year are stored on the higher floors. On the floors with crimes, the first half of the floor stores records of non-violent crimes. Murders are kept in the odd numbered rooms. The room numbers of repeat offenders are multiples of three."

The light went out as the machine fell silent. 

"What do you think about the new technology now?"

"Uhh..." A glance at her partner showed he was just as bewildered as she. "That was ... less helpful than anticipated." He offered her his notepad "At least I took notes." 

She took it from him, and, locating a blueprint rolled up in the corner, paid the two out on the desk. "Maybe this will help."

"Nice!" Murphy joined her. "The crimes were committed on and just before Christmas, so we know the records will be on the bottom floor."

"Of course they will," Kate replied tiredly. Hopefully the elevator was running. "According to the Assistant, the lower room numbers are for non-violent crimes, so we're looking for a higher number."

"A multiple of three," Murphy agreed. 

Kate ran her hand through her hair with a sigh, "I've always hated math."

"How can you hate math? Math's awesome."

She gave him a look, eliciting a chuckle. "Okay, so we're looking for an odd multiple of three on the bottom floor." He stroked his mustache absently as he thought. "Well, there's only twenty rooms, so it has to be here. Room 15, Basement Floor 10." He pointed to the spot on the map. 

"Nice one, Murph." Kate slapped his shoulder, making for the elevator. "Come on!"

Using the blueprint, it didn't take them long to find the room. 

"Why does it always have to be some kind of riddle?" 

Kate raised an eyebrow at the question. 

"Why can't they ever make it easy? Why can't they just say 'the thing you're after is here, use it wisely'?"

Kate smiles to herself, shaking her head as she pushed open the door to Room 15, "A question for the ages, Murph."

The inside of the storage room was a dusty pile of boxes and files with a row of file cabinets against the wall. "The Christmas Killer file should be in this room."

"Yeah.... Somewhere..."

The two split up, Murphy searching the boxes while Kate took the file cabinets. Eventually, she found a drawer containing files from December of 2010. Sifting through, she finally found what she was looking for. "I found it!"

A box crashed to the ground. "Oh thank God." Murphy joined her at the file cabinet. "I can definitely say I've hit my annual limit on spiders."

"This is it," She showed it to him. "The old case file. And look! It has the original killer's prints."

"And more snow globes." Murphy pulled them from the drawer. "We should get these back to the lab for analysis."

"Murphy." 

He turned to her as she held up the transparency of the print they had collected from the body. "They match."

Murphy's eyes widened. "He's back."

Kate nodded, "I need to speak to the victim's relatives."


	5. Chapter 5

Kate examined the clear plastic bag containing the necklace as she made her way up the front steps of the station. It was made of gold, its shape one half of a broken heart engraved with the words 'I'll forget'. The message seemed odd out of context, but she imagined that it would make sense were the two halves united. 

Misty hadn't been able to tell her much, only describing Peggy as 'not the best mother' and revealing that the woman had a drinking problem. She didn't seem too upset over her death, stating that she was sad, but it was also a relief that she was no longer suffering. 

Misty had given Kate the necklace, a gift from her mother. When asked about the other half, Misty stated that her mother would get 'all weird and quiet' if she brought it up. 

It was more information than she had before, but it still wasn't enough to solve the case. They still needed to find out how Peggy and the killer were connected. 

She nearly ran into Keiko as she entered the office. 

"Morning, Kate!" The woman greeted her with a wave of her hand and her usual bright smile. 

Kate would give anything to be that awake first thing in the morning. 

Keiko sidled up next to Kate, bumping her shoulder. She wore a cheeky grin as she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Heard you were at a nightclub last night. Did you meet any cute guys?"

Kate's jaw dropped and she could feel her face heating up. How could she know about that? Her jaw worked in silence for a few moments before the words came. "I was working!" 

Keiko snickered, "Hey Murphy!" 

The Lieutenant stopped dead in his tracks, his entire body straightening. He clung to a mug of coffee with what Kate would certainly describe as a death grip. Holding on for his life as his expression showed that he was having more trouble waking up than even Kate. 

"Did you hear Kate met a cute guy last night?"

"Keiko-" 

Murphy frowned, appearing at a total loss for words. Or maybe he was sleepwalking. It was Murphy, so it was hard to tell. "Wait, w-w-what?"

Before Kate could properly chastise her coworker, or stop the blushing, Dan sauntered into the room, blissfully unaware of the current conversation. He was carrying a cardboard box. "Hey, Kate, there's a package here for you. It's signed: 'From the Christmas Killer.'"

The jovial atmosphere evaporated as Kate rushed over to the man, taking the box. She set it on the desk, and reached for a knife to open it. 

"Kate, gloves." 

She accepted them with a nod, "Thanks Keiko." Slipping them on, she grabbed the knife from her desk and sliced open the package, pulling out a letter. 

Keiko frowned, "How does he know your name? That's disturbing."

Kate couldn't disagree, but at the moment, she was more fixated on the letter. It was a simple substitution cipher. It didn't take long to solve. 

Murphy peered into the box. "Another snow globe. I'll add it to the collection."

Kate nodded as she finished deciphering the letter. "I will kill again. It's almost time. To catch me, you must understand me. It started at Woodley Orphanage."

"There's a Woodley Orphanage in Stoneville." Murphy noted. 

"I'll go check it out." Kate said, starting towards the exit. 

"Kate, wait." 

The hand on her arm caused her to turn, coming face to face with worried blue eyes. Murphy shook his head, "I don't like this. He knows your name, knows where you work. What if this is a trap?" 

Kate couldn't reject the possibility outright, but she had a feeling that the killer was reaching out because he really did want her to understand him. "I'll be okay," she assured him, her hand coming to rest on top of is. "I'll be careful."

He shook his head, "I don't feel comfortable with you going out there alone. Let me come with you." 

Kate shook her head, "I need you here. Now that we know it's the same killer as ten years ago, we need to find out all we can about the original murders." 

He sighed heavily, "Will you at least let me know when you get there?"

"Okay."

"And call me when you're leaving."

She smiled at his concern, "I will. I promise."

He nodded, clearly still uneasy. "Stay safe, Kate." 

"I will." 

With that, she set out for the orphanage in search of answers. 


	6. Chapter 6

The cobblestone driveway clicked against the soles of Kate's shoes as she made her way towards the Woodley Orphanage's front door. 

She had her phone in hand, tapping out a quick text to let Murphy know that she had arrived. As she pressed send, she flashed back to the look he had given her when she asked him to stay behind. 

She would be careful, but if the Christmas Killer was really trying to hurt her, why not send a bomb along with the letter? He was trying to tell her something. Wanted her to understand why he was doing this. 

She climbed the front steps, ringing the doorbell of the over-sized house. 

She could hear it echoing within, followed by the rhythmic shuffle of footsteps. The door opened to reveal an older gentleman, probably in his late seventies. He walked with a cane, blue eyes smiling kindly from behind the thick plastic frames of his glasses. "Yes. Can I help you?"

Kate smiled back, extending her hand. "Mr. Orson? I'm detective Gray, we spoke on the phone."

His eyes widened with recognition as he shook her hand. "Of course. Detective Gray. Come on in." He opened the door, stepping to the side to allow her to enter. 

"Thank you." She waited for him to close the door before addressing him again. "Mr. Orson, are you the caretaker here at Woodley Orphanage?"

The old man nodded, "I was. The State shut us down years ago. Cut our funding. We had to send the children into foster care." 

"Do you remember the orphans who lived here?"

"Come with me, young lady." 

He led her over to a bookshelf in the study where there was a framed photograph. Taking it down, he showed it to her, pointing to a woman in the photo. "My wife, Clara. Of course this is me." He pointed to his own face in the photo. "Of course this was a long time ago." He pointed to each of the children in the photo, introducing them as he went. "Johnny was our first orphan. His mother begged us to take him when she could no longer support him. This one, Teddy, was such a sweet and shy boy." He shook his head, frowning. "I don't know why Clara disliked him so." He pointed to another boy, "Gregory was quite the chatterbox. So much youthful energy! Clara liked putting him in timeout best of all." Next was a little girl, "I remember her. Louise... such a beautiful young girl. I always liked having girls in the orphanage, but Clara said they were trouble." A tall boy stood in the back row. "Oh, this was Like. He loved sports. He threw a football through the kitchen window once. Clara gave him 12 lashings for that one." His expression softened as he stared down at the photo of the other little girl. "Cecilia. She was my favorite. She loved to draw... sometimes too much. She was terrified of my wife." 

"What about this one?" Kate pointed to the last boy in the photo. 

"Oh yes, how could I forget Freddie?" Orson's expression soured as he said the name. "He was trouble from the very beginning. We raised him from a baby, but he was obsessed with finding his birth mother. He constantly challenged us. Why did we do this? Why did we do that? Clara hated him. Insolent boy. I'm glad he's gone." 

Interesting. 

"I recall the children used to play up in the attic. It made Clara furious when they hid up there." Mr. Orson retrieved the tool used to lower the attic door, handing it to Kate. "Here, this may help."

"Thank you," Kate accepted it with a grateful nod, making her way upstairs. Lowering the ladder, she climbed into the attic. The first thing that hit her was the dust. This place hadn't been cleaned in hears. Coughing, she waved the cloud of dust out of her face as she scanned her surroundings. One side of the attic was filled with boxes, while strollers, bassinets, and children's toys lay on the other side. 

These were probably from when the children would sneak up. 

Crossing carefully, the detective took a seat on a clear spot of floor by a small bookshelf. Looking over, she found a dusty journal among the various books and toys. The name 'Freddie' was scratched into the leather cover, curious, she opened it. What she read gave her chills. 

Why did my mother leave me here? I hate this place!

The Orsons are terrible people. They treat us horribly. Especially Mrs. Orson. She hates all of us. 

I've been reading up on poisons. A poisonous plant grows in the forest nearby. If the lady hits Louise again, I'm going to use it on her.

They are shutting down the orphanage, but the other children and I vow never to forget one another. 

No one else can understand the misery and loneliness we feel. What kind of monsters would abandon their children? 

Poison. 

They suspected that Peggy had been killed with poison. What if it was from the herb in Freddie's journal?

Turning the page, she found an Ottendorf Cipher. Deciphering it, she found a series of 'u's' and 'd's' that would correspond to a chest with switches that could be turned to either the 'up' or 'down' position. Setting the switches, she heard a click, the lid of the chest popping open. 

Inside was a snow globe.

Grabbing it, she left the orphanage, giving a brief goodbye to Mr. Orson. She thanked him for his help and made her way outside, all but jogging down the driveway to her car. She had the snow globe in one hand and was using the other to dial her cell phone. 

He answered on the first ring. "Murphy."

"It's me. I have big news."

"Me too." He answered without missing a beat. "But you first."

Kate nodded, "I found a journal at the orphanage belonging to a boy named Freddie. Listen to this." She read the journal aloud. 

There was a beat of silence when she finished. 

"Wow. That's ... intense. Poor kids."

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "Some of what the journal says is backed up by the caretaker. He described his wife as being a pretty strict disciplinarian, but honestly it sounded more like abuse to me."

"Yeah... maybe it was better that they ended up in foster care. I couldn't imagine living like that."

Kate nodded, she couldn't either. 

It didn't change what the Christmas Killer had done, however. Or that he needed to be stopped. 

"So we're thinking this Freddie kid might be our killer?" 

"Seems likely, based on the journal. Speaking of the journal, there was a cipher in the back that unlocked a chest in the attic. Any guesses what was inside?"

"A snow globe?"

"Bingo."

"Dang."

"Yeah. Did you find anything on the original victims?"

"Yeah, I did." There was a sound of shuffling in the background. "The first victim was a ... Clara Orson." 

"Murphy."

"What?"

"Clara Orson was the caretaker's wife."

"The disciplinarian?"

"One and the same."

A beat passed. 

"Guess he meant it when he said he'd poison her. The tox report said she was killed with hemlock."

"What about the other victim?" Kate asked. 

"Uhhhhh..." More shuffling. "Victim number two was one Patrick Gaines. And get this: he used to be married to Peggy Larson. Our first victim."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. They divorced in 1990. At the time, New York was an at-fault divorce state, so they had to have legal grounds for divorce."

"C'mon Murph, don't keep me in suspense! What were the grounds?"

"Adultery. I guess Peggy was having an affair with another man. Patrick hired a P.I. to follow her and he caught them in the act. She ended up getting pregnant."

"He divorced his wife when she was pregnant? His kid or not, that's pretty cold."

"Yeah..." 

A beat passed. 

"Oh, and Antonio Larson called. He said a strange man came by his shop earlier this week. You were still planning on interviewing him, right?"

"Yeah. He's the only other family Peggy had." 

"You wanna meet me there?" 

"Sounds like a plan." 

He gave her the address before they disconnected. Kate turned over the engine, making for Antonio's house. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you Antonio Larson?"

The middle-aged gentleman nodded. "I am."

Kate held up her badge, "I'm detective Gray and this is my partner, Lieutenant Murphy. May we come in?"

Antonio stepped back, opening the door for them. "Yes, of course. I've been expecting you. Such terrible news about my sister."

"We're very sorry for your loss, sir." Murphy said, drawing a nod of agreement from Kate. 

He nodded graciously, "Thank you."

"You said a suspicious man visited you a few days ago?" Kate asked. "Can you describe him?"

"Even better! I have a surveillance system in the back room. I have the man on tape, but you'll need to help me repair the darn thing first."

"Of course, sir." Murphy chimed in. "I can certainly take a look at that for you."

Kate raised an eyebrow at her partner, "You know how to fix a projector?"

"I do, actually." Murphy frowned. "Wait, why is that such a surprise?"

Kate shrugged, not answering as she followed Antonio into the projector room. He excused himself to attend to business, leaving the two alone. 

In the corner of the room, a gramophone played a record of classic Christmas Carols. 

They sauntered over to the projector in the center of the space, Murphy kneeling beside it and popping open the panel. He grimaced, "Yeahhh... this is gonna take a minute. This thing's in pretty bad shape." 

Kate peered over his shoulder, mirroring his expression. "Good luck with that," She patted his shoulder encouragingly. "I'm gonna look around and see if I can find some more film reels. It looks like we're missing a few. 

"Yeah... you do that." 

With a sigh, Murphy set about the tedious task of repairing the projector. Meanwhile, Kate made her way around the projector, looking for reels. 

The song on the gramophone ended, changing to an old-timey cover of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

"I love this song..."

"Really?" Kate asked with a chuckle. "It always gets stuck in my head."

He laughed softly, "Fair enough." He shrugged, "I've always loved Christmas Carols. This is a song about true love."

"True love, huh? He's just buying her a bunch of stuff."

Murphy shot a glance her way, surprised. "It's not about the stuff. He's providing for her. He shows her he loves her by giving her what she needs."

"She 'needs' eight maids a-milking?" 

"She'll never run out of...milk?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh, drawing a chuckle from Murphy. 

A quiet moment passed as Kate found another reel. She turned it over, brushing some dust off of it. "Do you have someone special out there, Murph?"

"What?" There's a loud clatter behind her and when she turns, she sees Murphy grimacing, shaking his hand. "Ow..." He met her eyes, and tried to play it off. "No. I ... don't."

He didn't. Was it bad that his response sent a zip of excitement through her? Yes. That was probably bad. 

"Really?" She returned the reels to the projector setting them in a neat pile beside her partner. "That's surprising." Any woman would be lucky to be with him. He was kind, caring, funny. He protected those around him and Kate could say from experience that he looked out for her. 

She left again, retrieving a white sheet from atop a box. She began tacking it to the wall. They'd need it when the projector was fixed. 

"Wait... why do you say that?" 

"Oh, no reason." She sidestepped the topic. This wasn't the time or the place. Also, the department had strict regulations about fraternization. Best to not even start down a road that could get both of them in trouble. "How's it coming with the projector?"

She thinks she sees him frown, but it's gone before she can be sure. "I think we're good to go." He flipped the power switch, giving a satisfied sigh as the projector powered on. "See? Told you I could fix it."

"Nice work, Murph." Kate smiled at him, earning a smile in return. "I'll never doubt you again."

He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He pointed to the projection. "Guess that's our killer, huh?"

Kate turned her attention to the image. She frowned, tilting her head to the side. "The photo is so grainy... but at least we have a rough idea of what our suspect looks like."

Antonio's voice sounded from behind them. "Yes, that's him. He came by a few days ago asking where my sister lived. He said he was an old friend who had lost touch with her." All doubt whether this was their man disappeared when they saw what Antonio held in his hands. "He even gave me this snow globe as a gift." 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Larson, but I'll need to enter that snow globe as evidence." 

"Oh, of course." He handed it to Kate. 

The two thanked Antonio and excused themselves, stepping outside. 

"So Freddie tracked down Peggy's brother to get her address. Then Freddie went there and killed her..." 

"And he knows your name and the address for the precinct where you work." Murphy shook his head. "We need to catch this guy."

Kate nodded, "Well, let's get this snow globe back to the station and find him."


	8. Chapter 8

They hadn't made it three steps In the front door of the station when Kate's cell phone rang. 

She checked the caller ID. "It's Everett Kane. He owns the nightclub where Misty Larson works."

Murphy nodded with understanding. "I'll give you a minute."

She nodded, answering the phone, "Detective Gray speaking."

"Hey Kate. Bad news." Kane's tone was grim, "Misty missed the last two days of work. I went to her apartment this morning, and it looks like there was a break-in."

Kate grabbed the arm of Murphy's jacket as he walked away. He turned, his expression alarmed. "Did you find anything at the scene?" She asked Kane, putting the call on speakerphone. 

"Yeah, some detectives came and bagged the evidence. They found another snow globe and more fingerprints. They said they would bring it to your office."

"Thank you. We'll find her." Kate hung up, spurring Murphy to follow her into the office. "Misty Larson hasn't been to work in two days. Kane went to her apartment and he found evidence of forced entry."

"He must have her." Murphy concluded. "First the woman at the orphanage who abused him, then Peggy's ex-husband, then Peggy and now Misty."

"He's targeting Peggy's family, but why?" Kate asked, combing over what they already knew in her mind. 

"Wait." Her gaze snapped up to his. "You said Peggy and her husband got divorced in 1990, right? Because she was pregnant?"

"Yeah."

"I've met Misty. There's no way she's in her thirties. Mid twenties, absolutely, but she's not old enough to be born at the time of the divorce."

"So you mean..." His realization matched hers. "Peggy had another child."

"A boy named Freddie."

Dan hung up the phone and shouted across the office to Kate, "Kate! Your authorization came in for access to the FBI criminal database."

Kate barely looked at Murphy before dashing over to her computer. "Great. Now that we can search the FBI database, maybe we can finally identify this perp."

"All we need is a name," Murphy echoed, perching behind Kate as she typed. Entering the /fingerprints from the Peggy's neck, it wasn't long before the database found a match. 

She gasped when the results popped up on the screen. 

Name: Frederick Gaines

DOB: 12/25/85

Age: 35

Occupation: Computer Science

Address: 2300 Christmas Lane, Brooklyn, NY. 

"Got it!" 

Murphy read over her shoulder. "Geez. No wonder this guy hates Christmas..." He raised his voice to address his team. "Alright! We have a positive match and an address. Let's go get this guy."

Kate heard him in the background, but her focus was on the address before her. Could it really be so simple? Would a man who had been writing cyphers into his journals since he was a child really be hiding out at the address on file with his driver's license? He had over a decade to plan these murders and was smart enough to track down his victims as well as the detective assigned to their cases. 

No. She didn't think so. 

She crossed to where Murphy had gathered his team, pulling him off to the side. "Murph."

"Yeah?"

She shook her head, "This is too easy..." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Did they deliver the last snow globe from Misty's apartment?" 

Murphy shook his head, "Not yet, but we don't need it. We have an address. We know what it is."

"It's the wrong address, Murph."

"That may be, but it's an address and a girl's life is on the line. I have to check it out."

Kate sighed. He was just trying to be thorough. If she was wrong about her hunch and the Christmas Lane address was correct, it would be negligent not to investigate it. Even so, her gut told her that they were barking up the wrong tree. "You guys go ahead. I feel like we're missing something."

"You sure?" 

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Okay," Murphy nodded. "Call me if you find something." 

"I will."

He gave a curt nod and rounded up his team, heading for the address on Christmas Lane. 

As he left Dan came in, carrying a box. "Kate! They just dropped this off for you."

The evidence from Misty's apartment. 

Kate met him halfway between the door and her desk, snatching the snow globe out of the box before he even had time to set it down. Crossing to the shelf that held the others, she set it down. 

There had to be a clue in the snow globes. She'd found one every step of the way. It had to mean something.

Looking closer, she found numbers hidden inside the globes themselves. One through eight. 

Arranging them in ascending order starting with the first, she turned them over to find more numbers on the bottom. Put together they spelled out an address. 

101 East 3rd Street. 

She grabbed her phone, dialing Murphy as she made for the exit. 

His phone rang three times before sending her to voicemail. "You've reached Lt. Murphy with the Metro Police Department. Leave a message at the beep."

A loud beep sounded. 

"Murphy, it's Kate. I found the address and I'm heading there now. Meet me at 101 East 3rd Street when you get this."


	9. Chapter 9

Pulling up in front of the address, Kate scanned her surroundings as she stepped out of the car. 

From the outside, the building was a nondescript brick condo, but Kate knew better than to let her guard down. The Christmas Killer had led her here for a reason, and she had to make sure she wasn't walking into a trap. 

She tried Murphy's cell again but got no answer. He had the address, and if she was right and Misty was inside, there was no time to waste. 

Murphy would be on his way when he got her message. 

Returning her phone to her pocket, she drew her firearm and headed inside. 

The front door was unlocked and the interior was deserted, the large open living room complete with stone fireplace opening towards the stairs. The kitchen was tucked under the second story loft. 

She moved carefully, clearing each room before she felt it was safe to holster her weapon. 

Nothing. 

She found nothing. 

There had to be something here. There was a reason that Gaines had spelled out this address on the bottom of the snow globes. 

Returning to the living room, she ran her hand through her hair with a sigh, scanning the environment. 

Her eyes landed on the fireplace. Something about it just felt ... off. It didn't fit with the modern design of the rest on the condo. 

On the couch sat a tablet. Picking it up, she turned on the screen. 

A grid of squares looked back at her. A code of come kind. Pressing the squares in the right order would trigger ... something. 

But what order?

She caught a golden reflection on the screen as it went black. Looking up, she found the source. 

A small golden chandelier hung from the center of the living room ceiling. Similar to a mobile in design, it consisted of several squares that appeared to be ceramic. Each was emblazoned with an arrow, all pointing in different directions. A small smile curled the corner of her lip. 

Clever. 

She pressed the squares on the tablet that corresponded to the arrows and as she pressed the last one, there was a rumble. The fireplace swung open to reveal a hidden room. 

Trepidation and excitement rushed through her in equal measure. 

Drawing her weapon, she proceeded cautiously into the passageway. 

Inside lie a large metal cage. Big enough for a person. 

It was empty. 

It must have been where he was keeping Misty. But where were they now? 

An open door leading to a staircase provided the answer. 

The stairs led up to the roof of the building. When she pushed the door open, the wind tried to shut it in her face. 

Up ahead, a man stood with his back to her, kneeling over someone else. Misty. 

He had his hands around her throat. 

She drew her weapon, fixing him in her sights. "Frederick Gaines!" 

He jumped violently. Turning towards her, he hauled Misty up off the ground, using her as a human shield. The woman sputtered and coughed, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she struggled weakly against his hold. 

He sneered at her, "I must say, Detective Gray. I'm very impressed. I thought the police were just a bunch of idiots, but you've proven me wrong." 

Misty struggled in his grasp, but he pulled her closer to his chest, his arm snaking around her neck. He continued his monologue, as if the girl in his arms were of no consequence. "You know the whole story now. My mother, Peggy Larson, abandoned me at birth, leaving me alone and helpless to the orphanage." He shook Misty, "Meanwhile this one grew up in a nice cozy home. Tell me, why did she keep this one and not me." 

"Let her go!" Kate shook her head, "This has nothing to do with her!"

"This has everything to do with her!" He yelled back. "For years, I suffered Mrs. Orson's abuse while little Misty here had the perfect little life. She wasn't beaten. She wasn't starved. She didn't have to live in fear!"

"I know it's not fair, Freddie." Kate softened her tone as she spoke. "They never gave you a chance. Your parents got divorced before you were born because your mother had an affair. You were sent away, and she spiraled into depression and alcoholism."

"What do you know about my family?" He spat. 

"You wanted me to understand you, remember?" Kate took a step towards him, weapon still raised. "That's why you sent me that letter. You led me to the Orphanage because you wanted me to understand."

"You don't know what it was like!" He shook as he spoke. "That Orson woman was a monster, she used to beat us over nothing. I couldn't take it anymore. She hit Cecile and ..." 

Kate nodded, taking another step. "You poisoned her to protect the other children."

Tears filled his eyes, "She had to be stopped."

"You didn't know who to turn to. You were angry and afraid. That's why you killed your father, isn't it? He was the one who sent you there."

Freddie's eyes darkened with rage. "I hated him! I would have killed them both, but he was the only one I could find."

"It took longer to track down your mother, didn't it?" Kate asked. "She changed her name after the divorce and moved to Brooklyn."

He nodded, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I worked hard to track her down. Finally, I found her brother, the shopkeeper."

"He told you where she lived and you went there and killed her."

He nodded, "She was responsible for everything bad that happened to me. She deserved to die! That miserable drunk hated me from the moment I was born! 'Never You' indeed."

Never you. 

Why did that sound familiar. 

A golden sparkle shone out from the collar of his shirt. 

The pendant.

He was wearing the other half of the pendant.

Kate shook her head, "You're wrong, Freddie. Your mother never hated you. She drank because she missed you. Her family had been torn apart and she blamed herself."

"How can you say that?" He growled. 

"Your locket." Kate nodded to his chest. "It's part of a set. Your mother gave the other half to your sister. Together they say 'I'll Never Forget You.'"

He shook his head, "You're lying."

"She's telling the truth," Misty croaked. 

"Your mother never stopped loving you, Freddie." Kate lowered her weapon. 

Horror slowly sunk into his expression. "No... she..." He released Misty, dropping to his knees. "Oh God..." He sobbed. "What have I done?"

As soon as his grip loosened, Misty scrambled towards Kate, hiding behind her. The detective walked up to Freddie's crumpled form. He offered no resistance as she placed him in cuffs. 

A loud noise startled all of them as Kate's backup breached the door. Armed officers poured into the rooftop, guns raised. 

The second Murphy made eye contact with her, he barked at his team to stand down. 

Holstering his weapon, he crossed to Kate. 

She passed Gaines off to another officer, noting that two more where escorting Misty to where she assumed an ambulance would be waiting downstairs. 

"Kate!" Murphy's eyes were wide with concern as she reached her. "Are you okay? I came as soon as I got your message."

With a sigh, she nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay. Everything's okay now." 

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about the address. You were right. The one in the database was an empty lot." He shook his head. "I should've believed you."

She rubbed his arm, "You were doing your job, Murph. I can't fault you for that."

"I wish you'd have waited for backup."

Kate shrugged, making a noncommittal sound. 

He shook his head with a sigh, a fond smile tugging at his lips. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Drive me back to the station?"

"You want me to chauffeur you back to the station in your car?" 

She gave him a wry smile, "Didn't you say you were sorry?"

He laughed, "Yeah, I guess I did."

It wasn't long after that when they got back to the station. 

Kate stood before the evidence board, twirling the necklace taken off the Christmas Killer in its evidence bag.

Keiko burst into the office with a flourish, followed by Dan. 

"Kate! Congratulations on nabbing the Christmas Killer!"

"Yeah," Dan chimed in, "Our station's gonna get major kudos for that one."

Kate turned, smiling at her friends. "Well, I could have done it without you guys."

Murphy appeared in the doorway, sporting a decidedly ... festive Christmas sweater. "I just wish we had gone to the right after. At least we were able to help you arrest the guy."

Keiko saw Kate fiddling with the locket. "Kate, what are you holding?"

"It's the other half of the necklace from Gaines's mother. He was wearing it when we arrested him."

"Well hurry up and put that away!" She replied, linking her arms through Dan and Murphy's and pulling them towards the fireplace in the corner. "We're waiting on you to go celebrate!" 

"Okay," Kate chuckled. She made her way to the evidence board, tacking up the other half of the pendant. 

I'll never forget you. 

She stared at the words for a moment before walking away to join her friends. 

There were two couches in the corner of the station by the fireplace. Murphy occupied one, while Dan and Keiko waved her over from the other.

She accepted a Solo cup full of eggnog from Dan before taking the open seat next to Murphy. 

"Yes! Present time!" Keiko cheered, passing a wrapped box to Kate. "Merry Christmas, Kate!"

"Thank you," Kate opened the box. "Oh wow!" She bulled out a rich green scarf, the same shade as her eyes. "It's beautiful Keiko. Thank you."

Kate pointed to a present with green striped wrapping paper. "That one's yours, Dan."

He opened the gift, "Adventure Escape: Midnight Carnival?" His face lit up. "Cool! I've been dying to play this game!" 

"Kate, this is for you." 

The detective turned to accept the first from the man beside her, flashing him a smile. 

"Oooh, he got you a gift!" Keiko squealed. "What is it?"

Ignoring her friend's high pitch and her own rising blush, Kate tore open the wrapping paper. A hardback book by her favorite mystery author fell into her hand. It was the latest in the series she was reading. It had only just been released, and she had planned to pick up a copy when it went on sale after the holidays. 

She shot him a wide-eyed look. "How did you know?"

He shrugged, smiling, "I saw that there were a couple other books by her on your desk and took a shot." 

She grinned, giving him a hug. "Thank you, Aaron."

He chuckled, hugging her back. "You're welcome."

"Perfume?"

The accusatory tone drew Kate and Murphy's attention away from each other and to their companions. 

Keiko glared at Dan, holding the perfume bottle aloft. "Are you implying that I need this?!"

"No-!"

She didn't give him a chance to defend himself, continuing. "YOU are the one who eats garlic practically every day! And who has to sit next to our all afternoon while you make fart jokes?! Me! That's who!" 

Kate could barely breathe she was laughing so hard. In her periphery, she could tell that Murphy wasn't faring much better. 

Dan and Keiko, however, seemed to have forgotten about them completely. Continuing to bicker amongst themselves. 

"Boy," Murphy laughed. "You've got a lively crew here."

Kate nodded, wiping a tear from her eye as her laughter died down to a giggle. "Yeah..." She bumped his knee with hers. "I'm glad you're back, Murph. I hope we can solve more cases together." 

The smile he gave her made her heart do a flip. "Me too."

Retrieving their eggnog from the coffee table, he handed her cup to her, holding his aloft. "Happy Holidays, Kate."

She touched her cup to his, returning his smile, "Happy Holidays."


End file.
